greenpieced: how we got our name

 by Emily Hazzard

Donna Hazzard, my mother and the founder of greenpieced, began her career in interior decorating tucked away in a nook in her closet.  And trust me, it’s a long story, so curl up somewhere cozy to read this (mug of tea or glass of wine optional but recommended).

“When I was little, Mom and I would go to the fabric store and I would have some idea of some kind of outfit I wanted her to make for me. And ten out of ten times I was having her alter the pattern and come up with something totally different,” she recalls of her childhood. And when it was all said and done, the finished product was always gorgeous, even if it would be too dated now to dream of reviving! She is still grateful for my grandmother’s patience with her often high-maintenance requests.

Besides being an all-around saint, my grandmother is also responsible for passing down her thriftiness to my mom. She grew up during the Great Depression and like the rest of her generation, knows how to use everything to its fullest. When I was younger, I thought my grandmother was a packrat. As I grew up, I gradually realized that she was acting out of the self-preservation she learned in her childhood and which over the years became habit. Of course, I always appreciated it. Her house had so many artifacts from the past scattered throughout that each visit presented a new adventure rife with intrigue. I’d always find something that was old to someone else but new to me, a mystery whose charm only I knew—but I digress.

All this to say, my mother’s luxurious bent and inherited frugality had her squirreling away the high-end fabric scraps that a few of her interior designer friends would have otherwise tossed. Her hoarding symptoms were borderline textbook. She began brainstorming ways to get rid of the scraps without wasting them.

Meanwhile, I was taking sewing lessons with my grandmother. One of our projects was a crazy quilt. I remember it well. It was this cutesy, flowery, pink and black monstrosity that I’m certain is carefully tucked away in my parents’ attic now. But when my mother saw that quilt, she had a eureka moment. What better way to get rid of scraps than the old fashioned way?

Soon enough, her quilting enterprise began to consume my parents’ whole closet, so she booted the family’s cars outside and took over the garage. One day, she realized what she was doing: cobbling together high-end leftovers to create works of art. That is, greenpiecing.

My mother’s eye for luxurious textiles is one of the things I’ve always admired most about her. She has a weakness for color and texture, and dreams up unexpected contrasts (think burlap and chenille) I’d never think of combining. “Oh, this is lovely,” she’ll half-giggle, half-sigh. For most people, myself included, it’s a passion and talent that we’ll always envy. But for her, it’s always been this way.

Here at greenpieced, we knit together the best of the best and the best of the green, just as my mom pieced together those quilts all those years ago. We’re about passing down traditions of thriftiness without sacrificing modern style. We hope you’ll join us in living fabulously and frugally, but above all, living smart.